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Alterations of dynamic functional connectivity between visual and executive-control networks in schizophrenia

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Abstract

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. While previous studies have detected functional network connectivity alterations in patients with schizophrenia, and most have focused on static functional connectivity. However, brain activity is believed to change dynamically over time. Therefore, we computed dynamic functional network connectivity using the sliding window method in 38 patients with schizophrenia and 31 healthy controls. We found that patients with schizophrenia exhibited higher occurrences in the weakly and sparsely connected state (state 3) than healthy controls, positively correlated with negative symptoms. In addition, patients exhibited fewer occurrences in a strongly connected state (state 4) than healthy controls. Lastly, the dynamic functional network connectivity between the right executive-control network and the medial visual network was decreased in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls. Our results further prove that brain activity is dynamic, and that alterations of dynamic functional network connectivity features might be a fundamental neural mechanism in schizophrenia.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was funded by National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFC1306800), Tianjin Science and Technology Plan Projects (2017ZXMFSY00070), and Key Discipline Project for Psychiatry of Tianjin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300222, China

    Weiliang Yang, Yongying Cheng, Yan Li, Shuli Xu & Jie Li

  2. Department of Radiology, MRI Center, Tianjin Children Hospital, Tianjin Medical University Affiliated Tianjin Children Hospital, Tianjin, China

    Xuexin Xu & Chunxiang Wang

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  1. Weiliang Yang
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  2. Xuexin Xu
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  3. Chunxiang Wang
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  4. Yongying Cheng
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  5. Yan Li
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  6. Shuli Xu
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  7. Jie Li
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Contributions

Weiliang Yang designed the study, writing of the manuscript. Xuexin Xu, Chunxiang Wang and Yongying Cheng: recruitment of patients. Yan Li and Shuli Xu: processed the fMRI data, performed the analysis. Jie Li: reviewed and revised the article.

All authors contributed to and have approved the fnal manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jie Li.

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The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin Anding Hospital.

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Yang, W., Xu, X., Wang, C. et al. Alterations of dynamic functional connectivity between visual and executive-control networks in schizophrenia. Brain Imaging and Behavior 16, 1294–1302 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-021-00592-8

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